Many many thanks to Wade Wells who went through boxes of kleenex with me as I wrote this story. Most of the time when I write a story, I only know the beginning and sometimes bits of the middle. The ending comes as it comes. This is one of the few stories that came to me complete and in full at 2am. I started this January 20, 2014 and by mid February had the first 11 parts completed because I cannot NOT write it.
As a warning, this is a departure from the traditional K&A stories. If you do not like non-traditional K&A stories, than perhaps you stop here. This story alternately made me feel sad, mad, and happy when writing it, so I can only imagine what a reader's response will be.
In the end, this is a love story. In it you will find a deep and abiding love that stands the test of horrendous circumstances. You will find that the definition of family means something different here, and echoes what my family believes and practices. You will find weddings and children amongst the sadness.
Your feedback and reviews will be most welcome as I feel rather nervous about putting this story out there in public.
As a tip, you may want a Kleenex handy. I cried when writing the following scene, and upon editing it.
Blessings to you and your Family of the Heart!
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August 2725
Allura woke with a gasp, sitting upright in bed. Sliding out of the bed, she quietly dressed, and grabbed a warm coat and a blanket. Glancing out the window, she saw the moon had set, but that some time remained before the sun rise.
Exiting the room, she turned right down the corridor and stopped at the next doorway. Pressing the doorbell, she waited for a response. When none came, the monarch pressed an override code on the keypad. The door opened with a quiet swish, and she stepped inside. The room held a slightly antiseptic smell. Glancing in the empty bedroom, Allura nodded to herself and walked to the library then the rec room. Finding both areas empty, she went to a computer terminal and entered a command. With a small smile, she walked to the command center.
The night crew stood as she entered, bowing before turning back to their stations. Allura nodded at each of the men and women before turning to the watch commander. "He is out?"
"Yes, my lady," replied the commander. "Shall I raise the tube?"
"No, commander, I shall take the elevator."
"As my lady commands."
Without further conversation, Allura walked to the elevator which would take her to the underground system that connected the Castle to the Lions dens, and defensive points around the castle. Impatiently she drummed her fingers against her thigh as she waited for the elevator to reach the bottom level. Exiting the elevator, she pressed the button to recall the car which would take her to the lion monument in the front of the castle. As it arrived, she carefully sat in the chair and hummed quietly to herself as the shuttle took her to the top of the monument. Walking to the front of the lion, she found him sitting in his favorite spot on Black's front paw. Black had crouched down to a laying position with his head between his massive paws, looking like an overgrown house cat.
"Did you think to bring a blanket?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
A soft chuckle answered her question.
Walking carefully, she joined her best friend on Black's massive paw, making sure to tuck the blanket around his legs and chest. "Really, you think after all this time, you would learn!"
A warm hand reached for hers and brought it to his lips in a soft caress. "The children?" asked the raspy voice.
"Sleeping soundly, with visions of lions dancing in their heads."
"Good." A long quiet followed as the two sat together, no words needed. A long, hacking cough interrupted the quiet. Allura held her best friend during the long minutes until the cough subsided. Gently, hands wiped away the spittle and blood.
"So tired," the man paused to gasp for breath.
"Hush. Just rest." Allura shifted so he lay mostly reclined with his head on her lap. He closed his eyes, and she gently brushed the hair off of his forehead, then rhythmically ran her fingers through his hair. The last years had seen his hair go from thick and dark, to grey, then white, thinning even as his body had. She had watched as everything non-essential had slowly melted away.
"The children?"
The monarch felt tears start to form in her eyes, "Sleeping my dearest. Dreaming of flying lions and rescuing damsels in distress."
The figure in her lap relaxed and Allura looked to the stars in the sky.
"Have always loved you."
"As I have always loved you, dearest."
"So, tired of fighting to breathe."
A tear fell down Allura's cheek, and she struggled to keep her voice even, "Then rest, my love. The children are safe. You can rest."
"Tell me…what you see."
A second tear followed the first, and Allura swallowed hard to keep the tremble from her voice. "The stars shine brightly this morning, and the time of the quiet has come. The still just before the sun begins to rise. The deep dark before the twilight of dawn. The air smells of the distant mountain storms, of the electricity that gives Black his power and might."
The figure on her lap coughed briefly, and she heard the rattle of breath in his lungs as he fought to control it.
"On the horizon, the first lightening of the dark has come. The ebony of the night sky has given way to the velvet darkness of the coming morning. The first streaks of deep purple have started at the base of the mountains and the stars on the horizon have dimmed. The purple creeps up over the sky like a painter slowly bringing his brush upward and the colors have begun to lighten, and now a small band of orange comes on the horizon."
She pauses to listen to the slow rattle of his breath, and raises a hand to wipe away the tears that flow freely. She takes another shaky breath and runs her hand down her beloved's cheek. He turns to kiss her palm.
"The stars behind me still twinkle in the deep blue of the sky, but in front of us, the orange has spread across the horizon, and the pinks and reds of twilight streak outward from the center." She lays one hand on his chest, feeling the slow beat of his heart. She counts in her head the time between beats. "The glow in the center has taken on a golden hue, and the sun is moments from breaking over the horizon."
Beneath her hand, she feels the heart pause longer between each beat. She swallows convulsively, desperately trying to keep her voice going.
"Oh, my love, the sun, it breaks over the horizon, golden on the edges and white. I can just feel the first rays on my face, bathing us in the light."
The heart beats twice more. And stops.
"It is so beautiful, my love, the morning has dawned perfect and peaceful." Her throat closes and she can speak no longer. Tears pour down her face as she sits and strokes the forehead and face of her best friend and dearest love as she continues to watch the dawning of his 37th birthday.
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Allura heard the shuttle leave, but did not move, continuing to stare at the horizon. Minutes later, she heard it arrive and someone exit.
Kristof rounded the corner and stopped as he took in the scene in front of him. He swallowed convulsively as grief slammed into him. Nearly stumbling forward, he came to kneel in front of Allura and Keith and reached a shaking hand to lay it on his friend's shoulder. Looking up at Allura with tears in his eyes, he had to try twice before his voice would work. "When?"
"As the sun broke over the horizon."
The two sit with Keith, as the sun continued to rise in the sky, and until the castle gates opened. Finally, Kristof stirred. "Allura. It's time."
Allura looked at Kristof, blinded by her tears and nodded. Gently, Kristof gathered Keith in his arms, as gently as a child and stood. Allura visible gathers herself and stands, leaning against Black for a moment.
As Kristof stands, Black lets out a low moan and the massive jaws open, blocking access to the shuttle. A sad smile crosses Kristof's face. "I guess I have been told what to do."
Allura merely nods, and pats the side of the massive jaw. Kristof carefully steps in with his precious bundle into the mouth, and Allura clambers in behind him. Turning around, the two stand side by side, with Allura bracing one hand behind Kristof and one hand holding a support beam. So gently they could barely feel any movement, Black carefully raised his head and came to a standing position. With a jump that barely jarred his passengers, Black launched himself into the sky. As Kristof's and Allura's eyes began to water from the force of the wind, a force screen descended in front of them, blocking the wind. The mecha lion circled the castle twice before coming to a landing on the far side of the moat. With great dignity, the lion began the long walk across the bridge and to the front of the castle. The people coming to the castle for the day stepped to the side as the massive lion passed. Gasps and cries followed them as people realized what Kristof carried in his arms.
As the word spread, people lined the bridge, kneeling in homage to that man. As they approached the front of the castle, Allura saw through her tears that the bridge was lined with row after row of people in uniform. The massive front doors stood open and Black continued his measured stride into the Castle itself. He stopped at the end of the entrance way, massive head lowering without a jar until it rested on the floor.
In front of the lion stood their family. Coran, looking every day of his 73 years. Nanny, holding Jessica in one hand, and dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief with the other. Meghan and Darrin looked bewildered and Gavin stood with his dark eyes showing confusion. The rest of the team stood on the sides. Lance openly wept, while Darrell kept swallowing and convulsively squeezing his wife's hand. Hunk stood in front, blinking rapidly, his wife standing along the sides with the children. As Kristof carefully stepped down, Hunk stepped forward. With a bow of his head, he gently took Keith from Kristof who turned to help Allura step down from the lion.
As they stepped away from the lion, the massive head rose, and a roar sounded. From around the castle, four more lion voices answered the call. The roar continued to sound for a full minute before fading away. The lion then turned and walked back through the doors.
Hunk turned around and walked through the hallway. Behind him Allura walked with her hand on Kristof's arm, then the rest of the original force with their spouses, the children, Nanny and Coran. As they walked through the corridors, the castle staff lined their path, bowing their head in homage for a great man as the procession passed.
All too quickly, the group arrived at Keith's gardens. Over the last fifteen years, he had labored to give everyone a place of peace, tranquility, and beauty. The last few years saw him spending more time supervising his band of youngsters than doing the work himself. Unsurprisingly, Black waited for the group in "his" spot on a reinforced landing pad at the edge of the garden. He had already prepared a spot for his person.
Hunk walked over to a bench, and carefully set down Keith. Leaning down, Hunk places a kiss on his friend's forehead and stands with a hand over Keith's heart. After a few moments, Serena and their children join him, standing around the bench. All place their hands on top of Hunk's and place their free hand on the shoulder of the person next to them forming a circle with Keith at the center.
"Uncle Keith always had time to listen to my stories, no matter what. He never laughed at them and only ever offered me encouragement. When I am a famous author, my first book will be for him."
"Uncle Keith never took any guff from me. He only ever had to raise his eyebrow at me to make me feel ashamed of my behavior. In three years, I am going to the academy with his recommendation."
"Uncle Keith taught me how to love plants, and gave me my own piece of his garden. He let me make my own mistakes. I am going to study botany so I can develop a plant just for him."
"Keith made sure that Tsuo and I had time together to build our relationship. I did not know for several years how many shifts Keith covered for Tsuo so he could spend it with me. He always made time for all the children in the castle and managed to make every single one of them feels special. No matter how much he hurt, he was the most gentle of men with babies and I watched him walk with them for hours so their parents could have some sleep. Most of all, he loved unconditionally."
"Keith believed in me. He never looked at the exterior, but at the interior. He could be a right asshole at times when it came to training and schedules, but he always managed to bring out the best in people. As long as you gave your best, he gave his best back and would do anything to help. Slack off, and you would regret it. He helped me find my Serena, stood as Uncle and Godfather to my children, and called me brother. I will miss him."
With that, Hunk leaned over and kissed Keith one more time saying goodbye. One by one, Serena and the children did the same. When they finished, they went to stand to the side and let the others step forward.
Darrell and Joanna with their children and Lance and his son stepped forward to lay their hands over Keith's heart with their free hand on the next persons shoulder. After a few minutes, the children began speaking.
"Uncle Keith let me draw on his walls when I said the paper was too small. He moved all the furniture to the center of the room. The next time I went to his room, he had so many colors and kinds of paints for me to try. Someday I am going to be a famous artist and teach children just like Uncle Keith has taught me."
"Uncle Keith plays tea parties with me. And then one day I had an invitation come to my room. Uncle Keith invited me to a real tea in the solar. And he bought me a new dress too! So then he came and picked me up and he was dressed like a gentleman. And he brought me flowers! And then he 'scorted me to the solar and Nanny was there. And there was real tea cups and real tea and everything. And then when I asked if we could have a big tea party with all my friends from school, 'cause they do not have Uncle Keith to have tea with, he looked all funny and then Nanny smiled and said Yes! Uncle Keith gave me a big hug and told me how proud he was of me. So now we will have to leave a place for Uncle Keith at our next tea party, so he can be with us even if we can't see him."
"When my Mom died, Uncle Keith did not say any of the crappy things the other grown-ups did. He just gave me a big hug. Then he took me to the garden and had me chop wood. Sometimes he would just sit with me and let me yell or scream at him and then give me a hug. He would tell me stories about my Mom and some of the crazy things she and my Dad used to do. He always said that no one would tell him stories about his parents, so he wanted to make sure I had as many as he could remember. For my last birthday, he gave me a book; a real book – not just a book file. He had written down every story he could remember about my Mom and organized pictures to go with each story. So I am going to do the same for Uncle Keith."
"As I have looked back from the moment I met Keith, to now, I realize what a challenge I presented to him. I was barely 17 when we came to Arus, and a very young 17 at that. He was only 5 years older than I, but found himself in the position of not only being my commanding officer, but in many ways a parental figure. Now that I have had children, I can recognize what a good job he did in balancing those roles. Not that everything went smoothly or easily. But for an only child who lost his parents at an early age and was raised among the military, he did a damn good job raising me. I hope, in return, I have done as well with my children with the example he set."
"Like Serena and Hunk, Keith ensured that Darrell had time to spend with his family. In traditional military families, the military spouse is often gone for long periods of time. Keith found a way for we military families to stay together more often than tradition, and he would schedule himself for extra shifts in order to let our spouses spend time with us. As our children's "Uncle" he has spoiled them good. Since so many of us lost our families in the war or come from other worlds, family has come to mean something different. Keith called me his sister. I asked him once about this. He said everyone has the choice to have two families. The first is your blood family. You are related, for good or bad, to these people by virtue of blood and genetics. The second is the family you choose. This is the family of the heart. Genetics do not matter in your chosen family. He continued by saying that he considered me his sister of the heart and his family. To Keith, family was a matter of choice more than blood and his family continually grew. I will miss my brother and all the good times we had."
"I met Keith in detention. His first trip to detention. I had a permanent seat there. Everyone knows that Keith is quiet and does not talk much of himself. What most people never knew about him, Keith suffered from shyness and a fear of public speaking. He learned to overcome it, but loathed it with passion. I do not know why I decided to pick on him that day. But from it came my closest friend and my brother. He bailed me out of jail, stood up for me at my wedding, became Uncle and Godfather to my son, and kept my son and I together when my Glenna died. And that is only the tip of what he was to me. He and I travelled to the depths of hell and back together and glimpsed the heavens and everything in between. I will mourn my brother until the day I join him and my Glenna again. I love you, Keith." He leaned down and pressed his lips against Keith's forehead and stepped back to let his family of the heart do the same.
As they walked to stand next to Hunk's family, Nanny handed Jessica to Joanna and then joined Coran, Kristof, and the older children around Keith. Coran placed a shaking hand over Keith's heart, and the others placed theirs atop of his and their free hand on the shoulder of the next person forming a circle with Keith at the center.
"Uncle Keith never saw me as just "one of the twins." He saw me as Megan and not MeganDarren. He made sure that I had time alone with Mom and with Dad. He taught me to fly and he taught me that knowing when not to fight is just as important and when to fight. Mostly he just loved me for being me."
"Uncle Keith taught me to try things ten times before deciding I did not like something. He saw me as Darren and not as half of a whole. Uncle Keith loved to laugh and play jokes and he taught me the difference between a practical joke that is funny and one that hurts someone else."
"Uncle Keith taught me that cheating only hurts the cheater. He taught me that cheaters and liars make their own beds and that they are not very comfortable. But no matter what I did, he always told me that he loved me. So someday, I am gonna be the best ever because Uncle Keith said I could."
"I called the boys hooligans when they first came. I threatened and blustered, but Keith never disrespected me. He won me over with patience and charm. My boy never took good care of himself, but worked hard to take care of others. My children were killed by Zarkon, and Keith became my son. He rarely asked for anything special, so it became my mission to care for him the way he cared for everyone else. I will miss my boy, so very much." Tears ran freely down the older woman's face and she shook her head, unable to speak further.
"Keith had a fondness for Cognac and late night conversation. He and I would often talk about problems and look for solutions over a glass or two over the Arusian version of the drink. In the beginning he felt abandoned by Garrison, and unready for command. They had been sent on a mission to a supposedly dead planet, only to find a population of people not quite defeated. People leaned hard on Keith in the early days, and he turned to me as someone older, with more experience in matters." The old man paused and swallowed hard. "He gave me a pupil to teach, and a young man to mentor. I will miss our late night chats over a glass."
"Keith introduced me to my wife who has given me four beautiful children and will soon give us a fifth. He has been Uncle to my children, brother and best friend to me." The man blinked hard, and his voice came out raw, "I do not," he stopped and then shook his head, leaning down to kiss Keith's forehead. "My brother." Stepping back, each person kissed Keith's forehead and stepped backwards. The rest of the group came to form a larger circle around Keith, leaving a space for Allura.
Blinking rapidly with her hand against her mouth, Allura breathed hard as she slowly came forward. A chair appeared next to Keith, and Allura sank ungracefully into the chair. The children sat on the ground, near their parents, with the exception of Nanny and Coran who also sat in chairs.
Blinking rapidly, Allura picked up on of Keith's hand and placed it on her cheek. "Ah, my dearest love and best friend. Today, shall I stand, or rather sit, as witness to you." Placing a hand on her swollen belly she amended, "WE shall stand as witness to you." Putting Keith's hand down, Allura bent her head and stayed quiet for several minutes. With a deep breath, she raised her head and looked out at her family through eyes blinded by tears. She took two more breaths before she could speak again. "I have a tale to tell and I stand as Witness to the life of Keith Kogane, my love and best friend, pilot to Black Lion, warrior, and friend and family to many. Who shall hear his tale?"
"We shall," came the response from every person in the garden. "We shall stand as Receivers and shall hear the tale with our hearts and our ears. We shall listen and judge not, for every tale should be told and heard."
"Then shall I begin. In a day long ago. . ."
